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The Federal Communications Commission is advocating smartphone applications for physicians, along with increased broadband connectivity to hospitals and physicians that currently lack the service, as part of its just-revealed National Broadband Plan. The FCC cites the rising need for medical professionals to transmit large files, including medical imaging, as just one reason for its recommendations.

The National Broadband Plan was mandated by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, and is the result of an unprecedented level of public workshops, hearings and online interaction. The process to get to the plan generated some 75,000 pages of public comment.

In a unanimous vote Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission will consider changes to its $400 million annual rural healthcare program that subsidizes telecommunication services at hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The goal is to bring affordable broadband connectivity to more than 2,000 rural hospitals and clinics around the country in order to provide them with access to state-of-the-art diagnostics tools that larger medical centers typically have, the FCC said.

I wasn't the only observer curious about the FCC's claim of a lead role in federal policy for health technologies. It is mostly a secondary role, as many of the FCC’s recommended actions would need to be undertaken by the Health and Human Services Department and other agencies.

The FCC has lined up its participants for the first of many staff workshops on the national broadband deployment plan currently on the drafting board.

There are 18 workshops planned for August and early September, designed to put staffers together with stakeholders and the public to brainstorm on the many and varied issues implicated in the plan, which must be to Congress by Feb. 17, 2010.

Ramping up broadband infrastructure in medically underserved communities would facilitate telehealth programs by allowing providers to transmit patient data and medical images more easily, according to a news release from the FCC.

It was a kinder, gentler FCC that showed itself for new Chairman Julius Genachowski's first meeting, but one that has a tough road ahead of it in pursuit of a comprehensive broadband plan.

The praise for staffers, for the DTV transition and the Herculean broadband planning effort came from all quarters, as did pledges for an open, transparent, consumer-focused, data-driven, commission.

Specifically, data released Thursday addressed the "national purposes" section of the plan, or how broadband will help American competitiveness.

If the rules are approved, more rural doctors, nurses and public and non-profit hospitals and clinics would be eligible to receive shares of the funds, so that advanced healthcare could be provided to patients no matter where they live, the FCC said in a statement.

The money, to be allocated under the Universal Service Rural Health Care Broadband Reform program, is in addition to $795 million in stimulus funds, some of which will help hospitals in four areas expand broadband infrastructure.

"The national broadband plan is a 21st century roadmap to spur economic growth and investment, create jobs, educate our children, protect our citizens, and engage in our democracy," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. "It's an action plan, and action is necessary to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, and harness the power of broadband to help address so many vital national issues."

Arguing that the new fund has the potential to do for rural health care providers and patients what the E-Rate program has done for schools and students, the FCC plans to up the percentage it subsidizes for health provider service costs from 25 percent to 50 percent. In addition, the FCC said it would also front 85 percent of the construction costs to either build new or expand existing broadband networks in regions that are lack decent network infrastructure to support advanced health care IT applications such as medical imaging and electronic medical record keeping.

The FCC has released a list of preliminary topics for 18 upcoming broadband plan public workshops.

According to the listing on the FCC's broadband.gov Web site, the commission has proposed well over 100 topics, often broken down into subtopics, with more being solicited from Web surfers.

Emphasizing the move towards broadband, the FCC unanimously approved the notice of proposed rulemaking so that the public can have a chance to release input as to whether or not it agrees with the changes to the program.

Funded by an 11 percent tax on international and long-distance phone services from the Universal Service Fund, the plan would give “patients in rural areas access to state-of-the-art diagnostic tools often available only in the largest medical centers,” according to FCC officials.

However, FCC’s chairman, Julius Genachowski released a statement to clarify agency’s stance on the whole issue, “The court decision earlier this week does not change our broadband policy goals, or the ultimate authority of the FCC to act to achieve those goals.

The FCC is expected to vote on a notice of inquiry and a notice of proposed rulemaking that would transition the Universal Service Fund (USF), which now subsidizes traditional telephone service in rural and other expensive-to-serve areas, to broadband deployment in those same areas.

Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to propose allowing the fund to pay for as much as half of monthly broadband access fees at eligible facilities, up from the current 25 percent. They also want to make dialysis centers and other acute-care facilities eligible for subsidies and include administrative offices and data centers in the plan, the Associated Press reports. Additionally, some of the money could go for construction of broadband networks--including wireless service--under the proposal.

The Federal Communications Commission has approved a $400 million program to expand broadband access to rural communities so healthcare providers there have the connectivity required to use electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine and other health IT.

The FCC program comes on the heels of the Health and Human Services Department release of final rules that describe what providers must do to show meaningful use of EHRs to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments.

The Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have joined forces to help advance innovation and investment in wireless-enabled telehealth devices, which can improve the quality of a patient's health and reduce healthcare costs.

FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg and FCC chairman Julius Genachowski signed a joint statement of principles and memorandum of understanding at the start of a two-day conference, which began on Monday, to showcase a broad range of cutting-edge wireless medical devices as well as discuss issues affecting the telehealth industry.

"We believe that the National Broadband Plan will make it easier for doctors and hospitals to utilize electronic medical records, which will ultimately lead to improved care and better outcomes for patients," said Dr. Mohit Kaushal, Director of Connected Health at the FCC. "The Plan focuses on the growing need for greater connectivity and innovation."

As usual, the big sticking point is money.

In March, the FCC introduced the comprehensive National Broadband Plan. The FCC says somewhere in the range of 14 to 24 million Americans lack access to broadband internet connections. Most live in poorer, sparsely populated rural communities.